Terps women make it 32 in row, top Hoyas, 13-9

College Lacrosse

April 13, 2001|By Katherine Dunn | Katherine Dunn,SUN STAFF

WASHINGTON - Maryland's Courtney Martinez missed several games early in the season while nursing a knee injury. Now she's making up for lost time, emerging as a key defensive player for the No. 1 Terps.

Yesterday, Martinez played a critical role as the Terps women's lacrosse team won its 32nd straight game, defeating No. 5 Georgetown, 13-9, at Kehoe Field.

The Loch Raven graduate drew the tough assignment of marking All-America attacker Sheehan Stanwick, the Hoyas' all-time leading scorer, who entered the game with 35 goals in nine starts, seven of them in Saturday's 15-9 Georgetown win over No. 6 North Carolina.

Although Stanwick, who likes to attack from behind the crease, finished with five goals and two assists yesterday, Martinez pinned the Notre Dame Prep graduate behind the crease more than she would have liked. Martinez also forced several key turnovers and, with her speed, often led the Terps' attack out of the defense.

"It's kind of deceptive, because Sheehan obviously had her goals," said Maryland coach Cindy Timchal. "But she had to work for them, and Courtney did a great job. We also tried to do a lot of helping defense. The team defense played great."

The Terps (12-0) forced 16 of the Hoyas' 18 turnovers and capitalized on many of them, often in transition, especially in the second half, when they converted six turnovers directly into goals.

The Hoyas (8-2), on the other hand, were looking to slow the game's pace, keep the ball out of Maryland's sticks, and take plenty of time working for good looks at the goal.

"You know you're not going to beat Maryland if you don't have more possession than them," said Hoyas' coach Kim Simons. "More than the time of possession, the draw controls are so huge against them, and in the second half, in particular, I didn't think we did a good job on that. When we started to come back, it was because we started to get those draws."

The Hoyas led only at 1-0 and got a 3-3 tie before Maryland started a streak that ran the score to 9-4 on a Jen Adams spinner with 20:43 left in the game.

After Georgetown won the next draw, Stanwick sparked a rally when her pass from behind the goal deflected into the goal off the stick of Terps goalie Alexis Venechanos. Stanwick then fed Erin Elbe before slipping a shovel shot around Martinez to pull the Hoyas within 9-7 with 15:44 remaining.

But Martinez shut out Stanwick for the next 14 minutes, and Adams, two-time national Player of the Year, went to work, completing a 10-point afternoon.

Adams cut short the Hoyas rally, beating All-America defender Caitlin McLean to the cage from about 15 meters for a 10-7 edge.

After Elbe and Quinn Carney traded goals, Adams fed Allison Comito for her third goal of the game and a 12-8 Terps lead. Sheehan Stanwick converted a pass from her sister Wick with 1:25 left, before Adams fired in her sixth goal of the game from 20 yards, just off the left sideline.